The glacial flooding that sent residents of Alaska's capital city scrambling this week has become an annual ordeal for those who live along the picturesque river that winds from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier.

Update, 6:25 a.m. Wednesday: The Mendenhall River hit a record level as of 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The river is in major flood stage at 16.17 feet and rising, the agency said. That surpasses the record set last year of 15.99 feet.

By Wednesday morning, the floodwaters racing down from what’s called Suicide Basin rose to record levels, faster than scientists had predicted the day before.